Kids Making It! Helps to Beautify Bailey Theater Park
Release Date: Tuesday, July 8th 2008
For Immediate Release
March 11, 2008
WDI hosts Park Space Enhancement Project at Bailey Theater Park
Wilmington, NC – Wilmington Downtown, Inc. will be hosting an event to commemorate the installation of new planter benches in Bailey Theater Park, located next to Kingoff’s Jewelers on Front Street in downtown. The event will take place at the park on Friday, July 11th at 1:30pm.
Wilmington Downtown, Inc. is a nonprofit organization advocating planned economic growth and development in the downtown Wilmington area. Since 1977, it has served as a vehicle for community improvement and a voice for downtown businesses, residents and tourists.
Kids Making It, a non-profit organization that focuses on woodworking mentoring programs for at-risk youths coordinated the construction of the planters to be placed in Bailey Theater Park. Kids Making It is kicking off a series of community events with Friday’s assembly, leading up to their main fundraiser, Making Magic, which will take place on Saturday, July 19th. The Making Magic fundraiser will feature a workshop for kids at 2 p.m. where they will learn magic tricks of their own. That evening, there will be a full magic show for adults at 7 p.m. at Level 5 at City Stage. Drinks, appetizers and the close-up magic of roving magicians will be provided, as well as the opportunity to bid on a fabulous array of silent and live auction items ranging from pens hand-crafted by our very own KMI kids to a Cancun getaway complete with airfare! The magical evening will conclude with an astonishing stage show in the historic theater with illusions to mesmerize us all.
Wilmington Downtown Inc.’s Central Business District Services Committee has worked with the Kids Making It organization in helping to secure funding and donations for this project. This initiative began in the CBD Services Committee out of a desire to “green up” Bailey Theater Park. Presently, the alleyway along side of the park is made of a pervious material, but the remainder of the park is simply asphalt. The desire to create something there that would enhance the visitor experience while promoting and providing more green space in downtown Wilmington, has motivated the organization to make this project successful. The opportunity to work with Kids Making It as they strive to accomplish their mission has been a great one and an overall success for the downtown community as a whole. This one bench will be the first of 3 benches planned for the park in the near future. The planters are designed so that the trees can be moved via forklift, when organizations want to use the park for special events. When the trees outgrow the planters, they can be permanently planted somewhere and the planters be re-used.
“Benches and trees in the Bailey Theatre park area reflect the combined efforts of the City of Wilmington, the Central Business District (CBD) Services committee of WDI and a number of supporting private and public entities. This pocket park with shade and benches will be a welcome addition to downtown Wilmington.” – Alice Mitchell, CBD Services Committee Chair
A special thanks to the key people that have worked hard to make this happen will be included in the ceremonies agenda and include: The City of Wilmington, Kids Making It, Norman Sneeden of Special Wood for the wood donation, Residents of Old Wilmington, and Keep America Beautiful of New Hanover County in conjunction with Scott’s Miracle-Gro.
For more information, contact John Hinnant, Executive Director of Wilmington Downtown, Inc. at (910) 763-7349.
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